LES HERBIERS, France — The journey to the opening day of the Tour de France Media Center (Salle de Presse) is always an unknown. It’s the “chicken-before-the-egg” scenario of cycling’s grand affair.

Without a credential you can’t enter the media center and without a press sticker you can’t enter the media parking area to get your press pass.

In some years, I’ve had to park a mile away, talk my way into the facility, acquire my car stickers, walk back to the car, attach the stickers and then drive into the media parking area.

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None of that occurred this year, which I’m taking as a good omen for the race. The drive from Nantes was only about an hour and about 45 miles. Just outside of Nantes, a young guy was hitchhiking, so I gave him a lift.

Turns out he’s a law student at the University of Paris, and was en route to visiting a friend near the ocean. His English was better than my French, but we talk on the way and I dropped him off just entering the finishing city of the first stage.

Unlike some cities, Tour de France signage was perfect into Nantes and I pulled into an adjacent parking for race organizers that was, as the French say, “sign posted.”

The Media Center was actually the next exit. There was no negotiation necessary.  I parked, had my press credential and parking stickers within minutes. Vive Le Tour.

The Tour de France has three levels of media passes — orange, blue and green, with the latter being the highest priority and requiring a race radio. My blue sticker allows all access, with the exception of not getting ahead of the cyclists on the road.

Despite an easier day than expected, I also expect somewhere on the route a French policeman (gendarme) will stop me at a media center, along a country road or in a small city. It’s part of the race, and part of the spirit of the adventure that is the Tour de France.